The February 20 snow storm

On Feb 24, the Wright County Supervisors heard the effects of the Feb 20 storm that saw 8 to 10 inches of snow dumped on Clarion and the region.  “Boy, that thing just hit like a vengeance,” said Supervisor Stan Watne, as the room swapped tales of stranded friends and spouses, bad roads the day after the storm, and vehicles seen in the ditch.

County and State snowplows had been ordered stop to service in the evening due to conditions. County plows and power workers resumed around Friday 2:00 a.m. and worked throughout the night, day and into the evening to restore power and clear roads. “Why’d they pull the trucks?” rhetorically asked Watne, “Because you can’t see the guy up in the basket trying to fix the line.”

“[Counties] around the state is having troubles trying to find salt,” said Wright County Engineer Adam Clemons of one of the concerns of the long winter.

The Court House officially closed early during the Feb 20 storm, at 1:00 p.m. The Supervisors discussed formalizing the protocol for snow closures, though acknowledged the difficulty due to the individuated nature of storms, their circumstances and consequences. The Supervisors and Clemons expressed concern that when the Court House remains open during bad weather, citizens may feel obligated to take risks to meet appointments.

Supervisor Rick Rasmussen was present via Skype from Arizona, which he described as “awful nice,” showing a palm tree at the informal request of other Board members.

More info - including photos from the storm, and the results of the Supervisors' meeting's hearing on Drainage District 176 / SDD 31 - in the Feb 27 issue of the Wright County Monitor